All These Things That You Do
by IronAmerica
Summary: There were a lot of things Mandy didn't like about Bass, but she could forgive him his faults in an instant. Gift fic for Orwell-Is-Watching-xoxo.


I'm at 83K, so have a new fic! Mandy despises how easily she caves for Bass.

Un-beta'ed, so quibble away.

- o – o -

All These Things That You Do

Amanda "Mandy" Cooper didn't like a lot of things about her boyfriend.

Bass Monroe wasn't her boyfriend, though. Not exactly. It was hard to place just _what_ he was to her, sometimes. He was great in bed. He was a good kisser. He was gentle with her… He was also a complete fucking psychopath some days, and she really didn't like being around him then. He was too obsessed with power and Rachel Matheson.

For all his faults, though, Mandy found it far, far too easy to forgive him.

Her latest problem stemmed from his new guest. She hadn't been meant to meet Danny Matheson. Bass had deliberately hidden news of the boy's arrival—he'd gone so far as to send her to his home, where they never stayed unless there was a plague or Sergeant Strausser was off his rocker in a particularly bad way. (Thankfully, he stayed _on_ the rocker more often then not, although it _was_ hard to tell some days. Smiling was usually a good indicator that sergeant had cracked in a bad way.)

Danny Matheson was Rachel's son. He'd been a guest in Independence Hall for three weeks when Mandy first met him. From what she'd heard, he'd been treated pretty well for the first week. Then Rachel had built a generator of some kind because Strausser had given her a pendant her husband had owned. Bass had gotten antsy and wanted more. Danny had been dragged out of his room in the middle of the night and thrown into a cell.

Mandy was, at heart, a good person. She loved her boyfriend. But some days, she _really_ hated him.

Watching him kick an innocent while he was down was almost the final straw. Mandy had picked up some tricks over the past few years, from members of the Militia and the occasional Amazon who passed through Philadelphia. The young woman was pretty sure she could survive on her own long enough to reach Pittsburgh so she could claim sanctuary with the Amazons.

Bass scared her. Unfortunately, he was too damn good at making her lose track of why she was angry in the first place.

He found her in their room in Independence Hall, packing a large hiking backpack with her things. She had most of them already in the bag, and she was dressed for a long journey. It was starting to snow outside, even though it was only early November. That was Pennsylvania weather, though. It never made any sort of logical sense.

"Where are you planning on going?" Bass asked, sitting down on their bed. He folded one of her shirts properly and held onto it as Mandy tried to pull it away.

"I'm leaving, Bass," Mandy replied tightly. "You're not stopping me." She scowled at him. Brown eyes met blue, locking in a battle of wills. Mandy looked away first; Bass had an intense gaze that was hard to compete with some days. She hated herself for being the loser, as always.

"And where would you go?" he asked, grabbing her wrist. His grip was strong enough to make it hard to get away, but light enough that she wouldn't bruise. Bass' hands were rough and calloused, and Mandy pushed back a shiver of desire. He had nice hands…

"I'll go anywhere that will take me," Mandy snapped, jerking free. "I can cook, I can clean, and I can damn well learn anything else I need to."

"You're going to Pittsburgh."

It was a simple statement. Mandy stared at her soon to be ex-boyfriend for a few seconds before she smiled tightly.

"And if I have to, I will kidnap Danny Matheson and take him with me," she said, smiling sweetly. Bass raised an eyebrow, and he smiled, blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Is _that_ what this," he gestured at Mandy's possessions and the pack, "is all about?" Bass sounded hurt at the implications. "Why didn't you tell me?" He stood up and moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I could have made things better for you." He pulled her hair away from her neck and kissed the dip between her shoulder and neck gently. "But if you want to leave…"

Mandy clenched her hands into fists as Bass hugged her gently. He was manipulating her, as always. He loved her. He'd gotten what he wanted, though, and now she was losing the Bass she'd fallen in love with. This Bass, holding and kissing her, wasn't the one she'd loved for so long. He was a stranger with the same body, the same hands, the same horrible knowledge of how to make her weak at the knees.

"Get. Off. Of. Me," Mandy said tightly.

Bass moved back, pulling Mandy gently around to face him. He smiled sadly. "Please. Stay one more day. I'll make it up to you." He cupped the side of her face in one hand, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. Mandy leaned into the touch, eyelids fluttering in happiness.

"I…"

She was lost when he kissed her, so tenderly it was almost nonexistent. As much as she hated him for his faults, she always forgave him.

"Alright," she agreed. "One more day."

Bass always knew how to make her forget why she was angry with him.

- o – o -

So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Think Mandy should have gone to Pittsburgh anyways? (And really, if your only option is Pittsburgh, you're screwed.) Drop a line and let me know!


End file.
